Safety shopping-bag.



W. M. FISH.

SAFETY SHOPPING BAG.

APPLIGATION FILED THE. 25, 1913.

m 9 w M w WM 2 J m/. d B Z? Z m a r m w B a D WITNESSES ATTORNEYS -V'J'ILLIAM M. FISH, '01? NEl/V YORK, N. Y.

SAFETY SHGPPING-BAG.

Application filed February 25, 1913.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 11115 22, 191.3.

Serial No. 750,508.

To all 107mm it may concern lie it known that I, WJLLMM M. FISH, a citizen or the United States, and a resident oi. the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New lilorli, have invented a new and lu'iproved fiilatety Shopping-Ban, of which the followinn is a full, clear. and. exact description.

lihis invention relates to shopping bags or other similar devices adapted to be carried in the hand or on the arm and has particular rei cri'iuce to a means of a simple nature wherclw such a device may be rendered practical ly safe from being opened s .irreptitionsly while being so carried.

The primary object. therefore, of this invention is to so construct a has, of the nature indicated that while being carried in the usual manner, the handle cooperates in such a manner with the jaws as to hold them locked shut, but the arrangement being such that by lowering the handle the locking connection becomes easily inoperative.

The foregoing and other objects oi the invention will hereinafter be more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the drawings if'orniing a part of this s] )ecilication in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the views and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a conventional type of shopping bag; l'iaving my invention embodied therein; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of the same in open position.

Referring more particularly to the drawings I show, by way of illustration, a shop ping bag 10 having jaws 11 and 12 at the mouth of the bag as usual, said jaws being pivoted tijigether at 13. The bag is adapted to be carried in the hand or on the arm by a flexible strap or handle let, the ends of the handle being connected by rings 15 to the jaws.

In order to prevent the opening of: the jaws while the bag being;- supported in normal position from. the handle. i provide means whereby either or both of the rings 15 will have locking; cooperation with both of the jaws, but such. means being so ar ranged that when the handle is down out of supporting position, the coiiperating devices above referred to will be released so that the may be opened in the usual way. To carry this principle into practical 0poration, I show a pair of gi'lides 16 extend ingr along the ends of the jaws, parallel thereto, one end of each guide being con nected at the pivot 13 and the other end thereof being; rigidly secured at 16 to the upper corner of the jaw. Said guides, therefore, when the bag ll'lOlltl) closed, are in close parallel relation to each other whereby the ring 15 which embraces both of them may freely glide up or down. ll hen the ring is at the upper end of the gniidcs, the jaws cannot be opened, because the ring acting in cooperation with the guides constitutes a positive lock when in such position. Vl l'ien, on the other hand, the handle is lowered so as to allow the ring to slide to the pivot end of the guides, the ring otters no obstruction to the usual opening oi the jaws. By providing the interlocking means at both ends of the jaws, the saiety ol' the shopping bag is made practically absolute. and. hence the stealthy or surre ititious opening of the same pract cally impossible when the bag is carried on the arm or in the hand.

The attachment is neat in appearance and is Off a cheap nature zulding;- little, if any, to the cost of manufacture.

lVhile I show a ring 15 cooperating with the guides 16, I wish it to be understood that any other suitable form of slide may be used in place of the ring for cooperating with said guides or equivalent means along; the edges of the jaws.

Having thus described my invention, I claim. new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:-

1. The combination with a bag, of the character set forth having a pair of hinged jaws adapted to close the mouth of the bag, of locking; means for said jaws comprising a pair of guides extending along the jaws in close parallel relation and secured one to each jaw, and the handle havinga ring embracingsaid guides and slidable along the same in either direction. when the jaws are closed, substantially as set forth.

In, a shopping bag having a pair of jaws pivoted together, a handle for support: inn; the bag, a pair oi guides extending up wardly from each. pivot in close parallel relation, the upper ends of the guides being secured to the upper corners of the jaws, and a ring at each end of the handle embracingthe adjacent pair of guides and n0rmally holding the same and the jaws together when the bag is supported from the handle.

3. In a device of the character set forth, the combination of apair of jaws pivoted together and having a pair of guides extending along the adjacent edges thereof from the pivot, a handle for the device, and a slide connected to the handle and movable 10 along said guides locking the jaws shut when the slide is remote from the pivot, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

XVILLIAM M. FISH.

lVitnesses GEO. L. BEELER, PHILIP D. ROLLHAUS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

